


The Better Part of Valour

by magician



Category: The Sentinel (TV)
Genre: Challenge Response, Sentinel Bingo
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-06
Updated: 2018-11-06
Packaged: 2019-08-19 08:31:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 723
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16531061
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/magician/pseuds/magician
Summary: Written for the 2018 Sentinel Bingo for the prompt "personal space ".





	The Better Part of Valour

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the 2018 Sentinel Bingo for the prompt "personal space ".

"Jim, you got a minute?" Simon called from his office.  Summoning Ellison without Banks' customary bellow was enough to alert Jim that something important was up.  He got up from his desk, closely followed by Blair.  "Just Ellison, Sandburg," Simon added.  
  
Blair shot Jim a worried look but Jim just patted him on the shoulder. "Can you return that knife from the Dawson case to Evidence, Chief?" He looked at his watch. "Then you might as well go home."  
  
"Sure, Jim," Blair answered.  He put on his jacket, slung his backpack over his shoulder and picked up the knife. With one last look at Simon, he left the bullpen.  
  
"What's up, Simon?" Jim asked cautiously.    
  
Simon closed the door.  He turned to face Jim, looking uncomfortable. "There've been some rumors floating around the station."  
  
"About?..."  
  
Simon cleared his throat.  "About you and Sandburg." At Jim's snort, he continued. "About that you may be closer than co-workers." Seeing Jim's eyes roll, he added, "That you're lovers."  
  
"Oh, come on, Simon--"  
  
"Hang on there, Jim. I don't think you realize how it looks."  
  
"How what looks? And since when do you care how anything looks?"  
  
"Would you just calm down?  I'm concerned about anything that affects my men. I know you don't give a crap about what people say about you, and you can take care of yourself anyway.  But Sandburg's a civilian. He shouldn't be hassled because of that shit."  
  
Simon's profanity, more than anything else, headed off Jim's angry reply. "So, tell me what it looks like, sir."  
  
"Well, mostly it's the amount of touching you two do, and how physically close you are when you're working.  For God's sake, Jim, the concept of personal space doesn't seem to exist between you two at all."  
  
Jim collapsed into a chair and let out a breath. "Simon, a lot of that is this damn sentinel thing.  When things get overwhelming, Blair does things to fix it, like using acupressure.  You've gotta understand that he's like a doctor. He gets close to examine me, to gauge what's happening when something goes wrong." Jim held up his arms helplessly.  "The rest of it is Sandburg's touchy-feely upbringing.  I guess I've just gotten used to it."  
  
"Well, how am I supposed to address this?"  
  
Jim crossed his arms and looked out the window. "Well, you could remind them that Sandburg chases anything in a skirt. He gets more dates than our whole squad put together."  
  
"Much as I'm pained to say it, I think you're right there."  
  
Jim turned to look at Simon. "And then you could tell them to mind their own business and point out that they obviously don't have enough to do."  
  
Simon chuckled. "I could do that."  He sat down at his desk, giving Jim a shooing hand wave.  "Go on, get out of here and track down your partner. Tell him he doesn't have anything to worry about, but watch the touchy-feely stuff in public."  
  
"Will do, sir."    
  
*****  
  
"So, we're okay?"  
  
Jim nodded.  "We probably need to be more aware of how we look to other people.  Maybe back off a little on the touching."  
  
"Oh, man!" Blair exclaimed, "Our society is so homophobic two guys can't be within ten feet of each other without raising eyebrows."  
  
"I agree with you, Chief, but you have to admit we're normally a lot closer together than ten feet.  We just have to watch it." Jim chuckled, "When Simon got so serious, I was sure he was going to say someone saw us kissing."  
  
Blair rolled his eyes.  "Well, I wasn't the one who thought that making out in the Copy Room was a good idea."  
  
"Well, _I_ wasn't the one wearing jeans so tight you could see the dimes in your pocket." Jim reached down for a quick kiss. "You drive me crazy in those things."  
  
"Okay, okay, no more tight jeans at work. In any case," Blair continued with a grin, "we've dodged the bullet on this one. 'Discretion is the better part of valor', yadda yadda--message received.  But we're not at work now and we don't have to be discreet, so let's celebrate our good fortune?" He waggled his eyebrows suggestively.

Grinning, Jim turned off the gas under the pot of spaghetti sauce he'd been cooking.  Dinner could wait.  
  
  
~~the end~~

**Author's Note:**

> Discretion is the better part of valour --William Shakespeare (Henry IV). Interpreted to mean it's better to avoid a dangerous situation than to confront it.


End file.
